Always and Forever
by jerbils11
Summary: [“I love you Case, always have, and always will.” “Always?” Casey asked, looking up at him, her brown eyes full of question.He nodded, “Always and forever.”] Where was ‘always and forever’ now? How could he love her always and forever if he was dead?Dasey
1. Chapter 1: Help me leave behind

**A/N: This is my first LWD fanfic! Please enjoy and let me know what you think. Please Reveiw.. let me know what you liked, didn't like.. and all of that jazz. **

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter One: Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed **

"But Daddy, I wanna go with Smerek and Casey!" Marti Venturi cried as she watched her father pile her two eldest siblings' bags by the front door.

George Venturi looked down at his six-year old daughter and smiled, "No, Marti, this trip is only for Casey and Derek. I'm sorry."

Marti looked about to cry but just then Derek Venturi hopped down the stairs two at a time and landed in front of Marti, "Cheer up Smarti! We'll be back before you know it! But, I need you to do a very important job for me!"

Marti cheered up real quick, "OK Smerek!"

Derek smiled, "I need you to make sure Dad, Nora, Ed and Liz don't go into my room. Can you be my guard while I'm gone?"

"Sure thing Smerek!" Marti cheered, and gave her favorite brother a thumbs-up.

"Mom! Where's the map!?" a high, shrill voice called from upstairs.

Derek rolled his eyes as Nora McDonald-Venturi answered her eldest daughter, Casey, "It's down here, Case, George put it with your bags!"

Casey ran down the stairs, a backpack on her shoulder and stressed out look on her face. Derek smirked; typical Casey, freak out over a vacation. Derek walked over to her as she stepped off the stairs. He put his arm around her shoulders, "Come _on_ Case! This trip is supposed to be _fun_, remember?"

Casey looked at him, clearly annoyed, "Right. Fun, with you." She rolled her eyes.

Derek looked offended, "That hurts, Case!" he grinned and squeezed her shoulders then walked over to his dad, "Dad, when can we get out of this place?!"

George looked over at his wife who had just walked over to the group; he grinned then looked back to Derek, "Soon, we just have to get the car packed up."

Derek grinned, "Sweet!"

Casey looked around, "Mom? Where are Ed and Liz? They're gonna miss us!"

Nora looked at her daughter, "I haven't seen them today; I think they're at friend's house. I know Lizzie is."

"Ed's at Teddy's house." George said.

"Teddy?" Derek said through gritted teeth.

Casey put a hand on Derek's shoulder, "Chill, Derek, he's not here. Come on, grab some bags, and let's go."

Derek smirked, "I was going to do anyway; I don't take orders from you." Casey rolled her eyes and grinned as Derek grabbed two bags and struggled to get out the open door and to the car.

Nora turned to Casey, "Ok, so you have the directions to the hotel, money for gas, refreshments, and anything else on the way? You have CDs and other things to keep you both entertained?"

Casey smiled, and looked relaxed, "Yes, Mom, we have everything, we'll be fine. We'll be back in two weeks, and we'll keep in touch. Everything will be fine!"

Nora sighed, "Ok, ok. You two have fun, and no fighting! Be safe! I love you!"

Casey looked at her mom, as she grabbed the last bag, and hugged Marti, "Ok. I love you, too, Mom! Bye George! Bye Marti!" Derek ran up to the doorway.

"Come _on_, Casey! We want to beat the traffic! Bye parents! Bye Smarti!" Derek grabbed Casey's arm and dragged her out the door and into the car.

"Finally!" Derek said, as he started up the car and Casey settled into the passenger seat. She smiled at him.

"I thought they would never let us leave!" he held her hand in his and smiled a real, genuine smile at her.

Derek and Casey had been waiting for this vacation for a very long time. A few months ago, Derek had approached Casey in her room, admitting feelings he had been had for her, and had been keeping a secret for quite a while. She replied to him by telling him all about the feelings she had kept a secret from him. Ever since then, they had a secret relationship, keeping it from their friends and their family. Even though they knew it was not incest, they still wanted to keep it from everyone. They would not be able to understand it. Just because their parents were married did not mean that they were related. It was just as if they were living in the same house. They understood, but they were sure no one else would. They had come up with the idea to go on a vacation together to get away from the secrets and be able to be in public and be a couple. They were so excited.

"So, we should get there in about…. 3 days." He smiled at her as he drove down their street.

She looked at him at out of the corner of her eye, "Derek, the hotel is only half a day away!"

He grinned at her, "Exactly."

She smiled and put in a CD they had created especially for their trip. It was a collection of songs they associated with their relationship. In other words: _their_ songs. Casey smiled over at her boyfriend; she could finally be with him and not have to worry about being caught by anyone in their family or at their school. He grinned back at her, knowing exactly what she was feeling. He had waited too long for this. As they slowed to a stop at a red light, Casey leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Ah, it feels so good to do that without having to look around first." He rubbed his nose on hers, "Yeah, yeah it does."

There was a loud beep behind them and Derek jumped and looked up at the now green light. He smiled sheepishly and pressed on the gas. Casey giggled and turned the radio up louder, enjoying the time with Derek, preparing to enjoy every last second with him. As he pulled out into the intersection, Casey smiled over at him and then suddenly screamed; a large semi truck was speeding towards them, apparently running the red light on its side. Derek looked at the truck then looked back at Casey. His eyes were full of fear and love and he whispered, "I love you." Then the truck collided with their car and it sent them flipping away in the air. Casey screamed and grabbed Derek's hand as the car suddenly landed, upside down on the ground. Derek's head hit the roof of the car and his grip on Casey's hand slackened. She looked over at him and cried out his name.

When he did not answer, tears ran down her face. But, his head turned towards her and his hand gave her a small, weak squeeze. Then Casey looked past him and saw the headlights of another car coming speeding at them. She held his hand tighter and braced herself. As the car collided with their car, she screamed as they spun around on the road and her left leg was crushed in by the impact. As soon as the vehicle stopped moving, she somehow got out of her seatbelt and dragged her broken left leg out of the upside down car. She hobbled over to the other side, screaming Derek's name as she did. As she went over to his side and bent down, she screamed again.

Casey woke up in a hospital room, her head pounding and her left leg in a lot of pain. She opened her eyes and looked around. Her leg was up in a sling and there were wires all around her. Her mother and George were sitting beside her, looking tired and worse for wear. Nora noticed she was awake and let out a scream of joy.

"Casey! Oh, thank God!" she wrapped her arms around her daughter, tears streaming down her face.

Casey hugged her mom, and as Nora sat back down with George she noticed that they were upset about something else. She looked around and suddenly remembered the other person who had been in the accident with her.

"Derek?" she croaked, her voice was hoarse and low, "What happened to Derek? Is he alright?"

Nora burst into tears again, but Casey knew these ones were not because she was happy. George's face paled and his lips tightened. Casey shook her head, she would not believe it.

"Casey… Derek… Derek was dead before the ambulance even showed up at the accident…" George said, his voice trembling.

Casey shook her head harder, "NO! You're lying! He's not dead, NO! I won't believe it! He- he can't be."

Nora's tears flowed harder now, "Yes, Casey, he didn't make it. It's hard on all of us. But he is dead."

Casey screamed as if she were in serious pain, "NO! Why would you say that?! NO! He is NOT! You're lying! You both are! Where is he? Show me where he is!" she was crying hysterically now, knowing she was wrong and they were right, just not being able to accept it.

"Oh, Casey!" Nora cried and hugged her daughter tight. Casey cried into her mom's shoulder.

"_Derek? What does our relationship mean to you?" Casey asked one day as they sat on his bed one Saturday when their family was out._

_He looked at her, his eyes serious, "It means everything to me." He went in and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, "I love you Case, always have, and always will."_

"_Always?" Casey asked, looking up at him, her brown eyes full of question._

_He nodded, "Always and forever." _

Casey sobbed harder as she remembered the day Derek had made the promise of his love. Where was 'always and forever' now? What happened to it when Derek died? How could he love her always and forever if he was dead? She closed her eyes, maybe if she thought hard enough, she would wake up in her room and it would all be a very bad dream and none of this would ever happen. She wanted to start the day over; she was supposed to have her vacation with Derek and everything would have been great.

If only her everything hadn't come crumbling down around her.


	2. Chapter 2: When you're feeling empty

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Please, I'll take any review, good or bad. Tell me what you like, tell me what you didn't like, tell me what you think should happen. Everything is welcome! Please enjoy! **

**Jacki :)**

**Chapter Two: ****When you're feeling empty keep me in your memory**

Casey did wake up in her bedroom. But it had been three whole days since the accident, the night before they had finally let her leave the hospital. She tried rolling over to her side, but was stopped by the large hip to ankle cast that held her left leg in place. She groaned; this was going to take some getting used to. She was late getting up, Derek will have already stolen the bathroom, and she needed to hurry so she could beat Ed and Liz to it. As she sat herself up, her head pounded. She waited to hear Derek's voice as he joyfully taunted Edwin and Lizzie about his triumphant victory.

When she didn't hear it, she began to get worried; maybe Derek was late getting up as well. She carefully swung her legs around and grabbed the crutches that were propped up on the wall beside her bed. She slowly made her way up out of her room and into the hall. She turned to look at Derek's bedroom and saw Marti sitting in front of his door, yawning, but looking serious and crossing her arms.

'That's weird; Marti usually doesn't get up for another hour…" Casey thought to herself.

Lizzie poked her head out of her door, she looked at Casey and scrambled out of her room, "How are you doing, Casey?" she asked, timidly.

Casey looked down at her leg, "You mean this?" she pointed to the large cast, "It's doing fine, it's just going to take some getting used to, is all."

"Actually, I meant the whole Derek thing…" Lizzie said, choosing her words carefully, and speaking slowly.

Casey stared at her sister and blinked twice, "What Derek thing?" she asked naively.

Lizzie's jaw dropped; she had heard of quick recovery, but this, this was too quick, "Casey, I thought you wouldn't like being back in the house, seeing Derek's room and everything. You're taking his death a little too well."

Casey's heart began pounding harder and faster, she ignored Lizzie and turned to Derek's bedroom door and Marti, "Excuse me, Marti; I need to get into Derek's room."

"NO! Smerek told me that I needed to keep everyone out of his room while he went on vacation!" Marti pouted and looked up at Casey, eyes narrowed.

Casey looked puzzled; at that time, though, George was coming up the stairs and he had heard his daughter's cries. His face was suddenly very white and he looked about to be sick. He walked up to Marti and kneeled down to her level.

"Marti, we went over this, remember?" George's voice was shaking and it was unusually high-pitched; Casey looked down at him, curiously, "Derek is not on vacation. But he's not coming back."

"NO! Smerek is coming back! He promised he would be back soon!"

George looked ready to cry now, "No, Marti, he won't be coming back. I know he promised, but there's nothing he can do."

"NO! Daddy, Smerek is coming back. That's not true Daddy!"

George took a deep breath and his face grew stern, "Marti! Your brother is dead. He will not be coming back and that is final!"

Marti's pouting face softened as she looked at the tears coming down from her father's eyes, "Are you telling the truth, Daddy?" she asked, shaking her head, wishing the answer was 'no'.

All George could do was shake his head. Marti burst into loud screams as tears poured from her eyes. George picked her up and he brought her into her room, where the two stayed. Casey stared after them, her face crumbling. She looked at Lizzie, whose face was scrunched up in pain. Casey shook her head.

"Not again. I can't go through this again." She suddenly remembered the three times she had been told Derek was dead before this morning. The evening it had happened, the morning after, and yesterday morning; and now today, that made a fourth. She couldn't take realizing Derek was dead anymore. Tears ran down her face as she hobbled over to Derek's room. She swung the door opened and hurried in. She slammed the door shut behind her and locked it. She sat down on his bed and threw the crutches down on the floor. She laid down, putting her head on his pillow, taking in its scent. It smelled just like him.

Tears fell down her face and began to soak the pillow. She put her hand under the pillow for better support and felt something under her hand. She pulled it out and saw that it was a picture of her and Derek. She was on his back and he held her under her thighs. His head was turned towards her and was kissing her cheek. She had a radiant smile that shone brightly as her boyfriend's lips met her cheek. This was a picture that they had taken secretly at a portrait studio at the mall. They had made sure they saw none of their friends and Derek had dragged her in.

"_Derek!" she giggled as he pulled her into the studio's lobby, "What are we doing?" _

_He looked over at her and wiggled his eyebrows, "I am not going to wait until we are eighteen to have a picture taken with my girlfriend where I can pose however the heck I want to." _

_She giggled again, "People might see!" _

_He shook his head, "Not if we hurry in there!" he grinned and pushed her to the counter and they signed in. _

"_Venturi/McDonald?" the photographer called after a few minutes of waiting; Derek smiled and pulled Casey into the studio. _

_The photographer had them make many poses, but Derek and Casey saw the one and fell in love with it. They paid for two wallet-size copies of it and left the studio smiling brightly. _

Casey had cherished that photo and had kept it under her own pillow so it would always be close. And safe. More tears poured from her eyes as she realized he had done the same thing. She closed her eyes and held the picture to her chest, keeping it close to her heart. She took in the scent of Derek and a small smile crept up on her lips as she remembered when Derek had secretly taken her out for the six-month-iversary.

_Derek pulled Casey out the door by her hand and stuck his head back in the door, "Casey and I have a project due tomorrow and we need to head down to the library to finish it! Be back in a couple of hours!" _

_Casey smiled as Derek shut the door, "So, Mr. Venturi, what do you have planned for this evening?" _

_He grinned and took her hand and led her to the sidewalk, "I figured since we couldn't go to any of the restaurants in town that I would take you out for a walk, and then we could go to the park and take a moonlit stroll around the lake." _

_She smiled up at him as they walked down the sidewalk, "Sounds perfect!" _

_He looked behind him at the house they had just left, then all around the street. Then, he leaned in kissed her on the lips, a long, gentle, meaningful kiss. As he pulled away he smirked. She giggled up at him. _

"_What's that for?" _

_He grinned, "I don't know how I spent six whole months before I told you how I felt. I could have gotten a kiss like that, and kisses like all the others, months ago!" _

_She laughed; he smiled, he loved her laugh, "It wasn't easy keeping my feelings from you either. Do you know how many times I wanted to scream and tell you that I didn't like any other guy but you?"_

"_Probably just as many times as I wanted to let you know that no other girl meant as much to me as you do." _

_She smiled and put her head on his shoulder, "Derek. I love this. I love you." It was the first time she had said those words to any boyfriend she had ever had, and she immediately began to regret it, until he stopped walking turned to face her, grabbed her other hand and looked straight into her eyes. _

"_I love you too, Casey. Always have, always will." _

_Casey smiled and as they continued to walk, she laid her head on his shoulder once more, because that was where she felt the most comfortable; his touch had that affect one her. _

Casey sat up and looked around the room. It was exactly how he left it: messy. Clothes were thrown everywhere, his hockey gear was sporadically lying around the room, and CDs were on the floor. She shook her head, smiling through her tears, normally she hated clutter and mess, but with Derek, that was one of the things she loved most about him.

She slid the picture of the happy couple back under the pillow and she grabbed her crutches off the floor. She stood and made her way out of the room, giving it one last look as she closed the door. Tears were still flowing from her eyes and she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face and getting ready for the day.

'_Typical Casey, even in a cast, she hurries to be the first one in the bathroom.'_


	3. Chapter 3: I dreamed I was missing

**Chapter Three:****I dreamed I was missing and you were so scared**

Derek watched as Casey turned around to face him. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears and her face was wet with many already shed tears. He figured it was because of the pain; that _was_ a very large cast she had on. As she looked at him, he face grew confused. He looked at her, why was she confused? Did he have something on his face? Was his hair really bad bed-head? She shook her head and then continued hobbling of to the bathroom. His eyebrows furrowed and he wondered why she had just shaken off his taunt.

He hurried after her, "Casey. I know that one was lame. So, let's forget it." She kept walking, ignoring him and so he jumped in front of the bathroom door, barricading her way in, "Good morning, beautiful." He checked the hall then leaned in to give her a kiss.

She continued walking forward into the kiss, seemingly not noticing him. He leaned towards her and as his lips were about to meet hers, he suddenly felt very light and he fell right through Casey. Not _on_ Casey, _through_ Casey. He scrambled up to his feet.

"Ok, something weird is going on here." He said, and he ran up to her as she opened the bathroom door. He touched his hand to her shoulder and again it went right through her. His hand disappeared into her shoulder. He shouted and jumped back. Casey jolted and looked behind her, tears starting to fall now. She looked all around the hallway.

"Derek?" she whispered, softly, her voice trembling and fear in her eyes.

He ran up to her and stood inches from her face, "I'm right here, Case. Say you can see me. I'm right here. You can see me, right?" his voice was rushed and scared.

She peered right through him, still searching the hallway. She took a deep, shaky breath and turned away. Derek watched silently as the door shut behind her. His heart clenched in his chest; she couldn't see him. Why couldn't she see him? He shook his head and ran down the stairs; surely his dad or Nora would know what was wrong with Casey.

Nora was alone in the kitchen and she looked tired and upset. Derek ran into the kitchen and up to Nora, "Nora, what's up with Casey?" he cleared his throat, he didn't sound like the annoying step-brother, "She's not being her usual perky self." He said the word 'perky' with sarcasm and he drawled it out.

Nora didn't look up. "Oh no, not you too!" he shouted and she didn't flinch. He let out an irritated groan and ran up the stairs. As he entered the hall, he saw Casey emerge from the bathroom and his father come from Marti's room. What had he been doing in her room? Casey hobbled over to George, and even though Derek could not see her face, he knew she looked scared, because George instantly grew worried.

"Casey, what's wrong"?"

She sighed, "I heard him. I heard his voice. Twice. Right before I went into the bathroom. I could have _sworn_ I heard him make fun of me."

George took a deep breath, "Casey, I already did this with Marti," he looked at her eyes, and sighed, "Derek's dead, Casey. There is no possible way you could have heard him.

Derek gasped. 'Dead? How can I be dead? I'm standing right here!' He ran up to them and yelled, "I'm right HERE! I'm NOT dead! Casey!" he stepped in front of her, going through his dad, "Casey, listen to me. I'm right here. I'm not dead. Don't listen to him! I'm here. I'm right here!"

Casey's eyes filled with years; she _did_ hear him. Derek put his hands on her shoulders, but they just faded right into her. He yelled in frustration. Casey jumped away on her crutches and hurried away into her room, crying. George stared after her, confused and upset. Derek ran over to Casey's door and put a hand on it; it faded right through. He grinned and slipped his whole body through the door. She was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, crying hysterically. He went over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Please be able to hear me. Casey… Casey if you hear me, nod your head." He stared at her expectantly, anxiously waiting to see if she heard him.

She made a frightened sound and slowly nodded her head. Derek made a sound of joy and looked down at her, "Do you see me?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath and shook her head, leaning up onto her pillow so she was sitting up straight, "Derek? Is that really you?"

"Yes. It's really me."

"Oh my God! Derek!" a smiled spread across her face, and then confusion, "But—but you're dead! I saw you!"

Derek's face fell, "Maybe that's why you can't see me. Casey, I'm not really dead. I'm sitting right here on your bed."

"You—you are?" she asked staring at her bed, searching for a trace of him.

"Yes. We have to find a way for you to see me. Why can you hear me if I'm dead? What's going on?"

Casey shook her head, "I have no idea. It's just so good to hear your voice! I wish I could hug you right now. I've missed you so much!"

He looked down at her, a small smile on his lips, "How long have I been dead?"

"Today's the fourth day." She said it with difficulty.

"That car crash! We were on our way to our vacation and a car hit us! That's how I died?"

Casey nodded, tears pouring out, "Yes, they said you were dead before the ambulance could even get there!" she was choking on her tears and she could speak no more.

"Shh. Shh… it's ok. I'm here. We'll find a way fix this. If I'm still here there must be some way to get you to see me. Or even better; a way to bring me back to life!"


	4. Chapter 4: But no one would listen

**A/N: Sorry, it took longer than I thought to update. But hope you guys like this one! R&R:)**

**-Jacki :D**

**Chapter Four: But no one would listen because no one else cared**

Casey ran out of her room, going as fast as she could on crutches. She could not see Derek; but she _had_ heard him. George was wrong she could hear him! She hurried to the top of the stairs and stood there.

"Mom! George!" she cried, loudly, her voice trembling from both fear and excitement.

"Casey, what are you doing?" Derek's voice whispered in her ear.

She turned towards the sound of the voice, "I'll make them believe you're alive." Then she turned back to the stairs.

George and Nora hurriedly ran up the stairs; they looked scared. Nora looked up at her daughter, "What's wrong Casey?"

Casey wiped her eyes and tried to look as serious as possible, "Nothing's wrong. I have something to tell you about Derek. He's alive!" She smiled and looked from one parent to the other.

Nora and George looked at each other, sadly, then looked back up at Casey; was that pity it their eyes?

"Casey, Derek is not alive. The car crash killed him. You were lucky to survive, yourself." Nora spoke as if she were talking to Marti.

Casey shook her head violently, "Then explain how I can hear him!"

Nora's eyes widened, and after a moment of stunned silence, she regained her composure, "Casey, you can't hear Derek. You can't hear someone that's not alive."

"But I can! I can hear him!" Casey began to grow worried; convincing people was going to be harder than she thought.

"Well, Casey, can you see Derek anywhere?" George asked; he was pretending to be sincere, but Casey could tell that he was just humoring her.

"Well, no, but I _can_ hear him! You have to believe me! He needs our help!"

George and Nora were beginning to get aggravated with Casey's claims now, "Casey. If you can't see him, that means he's not alive. You're hearing what you want to hear." Nora said with voice that clearly showed that her patience was being tested.

Casey sighed in aggravation, "You think I WANT to hear Derek's voice? You think I want to HEAR him and NOT see him? It's horrible! I'd much rather know he was alive! But I can't see him. But I now he's here and he needs my help, whether or not you two choose to believe it! I am going to help him with or without your help!" She knew there was no point in trying to have a dramatic exit; the crutches delayed any drama that could come from her leaving.

Nora and George just stared after her, dumbfounded, as she hobbled away. Casey was grumbling under her breath; how could her parents not believe her? How could they say that she _wanted_ this? Who in their right mind would want to hear their boyfriend's voice but not be able to see or touch him? To now he was alive, but not be able to be with him. It was torture. She entered her room and closed the door forcefully behind her.

"Casey, you should have known they wouldn't believe you." Derek's voice said from behind her, reminding her of all the times he would sneak into her room just to rub things in her face to get her aggravated.

Casey slowly turned around, "Derek, I'm worried, what if no one believes me? I won't be able to get anyone's help. And then I won't be able to bring you back!"

"Casey, calm down! We can do this. We've just got to find the right people." Casey smiled despite herself; she could just see Derek's face, that relaxed, calm look, at this point he would have his hands on her shoulders trying to get her to relax.

"I know. It's just; you don't know what it's been like, having to live without you here. I miss you. And now all I can do is hear you. I can't see you. I can't hold your hand, hug you, and kiss you. I can't even bump your shoulder! It's just so hard!"

Derek sighed, "I know Case, and it's hard on me, too. I can see you, but I can't touch you, no matter what I do."

Casey looked to the area where she thought his voice was coming from, "I love you."

"I love you too. We can do this, Casey. We can. You'll be back in my arms sooner than you know it!"

She looked doubtful, "You really think so?"

"No. I know so!"

Casey chuckled, "I'm going to look online to see if anyone else has had anything like this happen to anyone else." She made her slow, crippled way over to her computer and propped the crutches up on the desk to the side. Then she slowly sat down on the chair and instantly began typing away.

Two hours flew by and she had read all about ghost 'sightings' and hallucinations, but nothing about hearing someone who has died and is stuck in an invisible state. She was on the verge of giving up, until she saw one little site.

'Are you hearing someone you thought was dead? Do you know that they are stuck, but you can't see them or touch them? Click here!' 

Normally, Casey wouldn't have clicked on something like that, but, desperate times called for desperate measures. She clicked on it and was instantly taken to a site with a lot of links and a lot of text. She began reading and her eyes grew wide.

"Casey! Casey what does it say?" Derek's voice cried from the direction of her bed.

"It, it says that there's this man who specializes in this kind of stuff. His name is Dr. Vramini and he says that he will help anyone with this problem for free, because he knows how it feels and that he doesn't want anyone else to suffer like he did."

"Well, come on then, let's go!" Derek cried.

"One problem, Derek, I can't drive."

"Why not? You're right leg is fine."

"I can't bend my left one, though, genius." Casey laughed, "Hmm… maybe we could catch a bus."

"Is it far from here?"

"No, not at all. It's like five minutes away." Casey stood up and grabbed her crutches. She hurried over to the stairs, "GEORGE!"

George hurried up the stairs, "Yes, Casey?"

"I need help down the stairs, please."

George nodded and lifted her up into his arms. He slowly and carefully made his way down the stairs.

"I could have done that! If I wasn't invisible!"

Casey smiled as she leaned against the stair well while George ran up and grabbed her crutches, "George, tell Mom I went to the library, I'll be back in a few hours. I'm taking the bus."

George nodded, "Please be careful."

Casey made her way over to the door and left the house, "To the bus stop!" Casey smiled as she heard Derek's voice right beside her.

"If this works, I'll get to see that cute face of yours soon!" she smiled and he knew he was blushing, just like he always had when she complimented him.

"Casey, you have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now."

"Oh, I think I have an idea…" her face fell, as she thought about how much she really _did_ want to kiss him, or even just touch his hand.

"What do you think this guy is going to be able to do to help us, Case?"

"I have no idea. I just hope it's fast. Then everyone will believe me."

"I believed you."

Casey laughed as the bus stop came into view, "You only believed me because you were the one I was talking about."

She heard his laugh, oh how she missed that laugh, "I would have believed you anyway."

She laughed again and stopped walking at the bus stop, "Sure you would, Derek, sure."

"I would! I have a lot of trust in you Casey. You could tell me pigs were flying in the sky and I would run to the window to see them!"

Casey laughed out loud, "Derek, that is why I love you, you make me laugh. Even if the things you say are absolutely not true!"

He made an offended sound, "It is so true!"

Casey laughed, "Alright, Derek." She looked down the road, "There's the bus!"

Casey inched closer to the street and waiting patiently as the bus pulled to a stop. The door opened and she tried to struggle and get up onto the stairs until the bus driver finally took pity on her and helped her up. He helped her down the aisle and into a seat. Then he handed her the crutches. As he walked back to the wheel, she heard Derek grumble.

"Again, I could have done that for you."

Casey giggled and shook her head and smiled, "We should be there soon. And then you can. Believe me, I'd much rather you do it, then a bus driver who I don't know."

"Oh, I wait. I wait." Derek sounded impatient, and Casey laughed.

The bus stopped and the bus driver helped Casey off when she told him she needed to get off. She stood on her crutches in front of a small building with a purple door and the words: Dr. Vramini written in gold letters on it.

"Come on, Case, let's go." He whispered in her ear.

She nodded and stood up straight. What was there to lose?


	5. Chapter 5: What am I leaving

**A/N: I'm afraid Dr. Vramini isn't as interesting as I wanted him to be. But, still, let me know what you think. Good or bad. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's not as long as I wanted it to be, but oh well. It works. :) Oh, by the way, for those of you who don't know or didn't notice, the chapter names are lyrics from a song. If anyone wants to take a guess.. leave a review with your guess on which song they're from. I'll post the answer in the next update! **

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Five: What am I leaving when I'm done here?**

"Derek, I can't do this. He's going to look at me like Mom and George did! He's going to think I'm crazy!" Casey's hand was inches from the doorknob, but she was having second thoughts.

"Casey, he said he had this happen to him! He knows what's going on. I want to be alive again, please, let's go!"

Casey took a deep breath, "You're right." She opened the door and made her way in, "Hello? Dr. Vramini? My name is Casey McDonald and I have a problem!"

Casey looked around the room; it was like stepping into an antique store. There were three old style armchairs and a small table in the middle of them. There was an old, large grandfather clock against the far wall. The lights were dim and from what Casey could tell, it was a very small room. There was a figure sitting in one of the armchairs, and when he spoke his voice was old and sounded like one who was wise.

"Casey McDonald, welcome. Come, sit, tell me of your problem." The voice said and she saw his motion towards a chair.

"Dr. Vramini?" the figure nodded as Casey sat down across the table from him, "Well, you see, my boyfriend, Derek, died in a car crash three days ago-"

"I'm so sorry about your loss. It must be hard."

"Thank you. It is, but that's only part of the problem. This morning I woke up and heard him. I heard his voice. He talked to me, I knew he was there. He told me he could see me and that he was alive. But, why can't I see him?" Casey blurted out in a rush.

"Miss McDonald, you are going through a situation I, myself, went through a few years ago. My wife of 10 years died in a car crash as well. I was so devastated, but then a few days after her death, I heard her voice, just as you are hearing Derek's. I began to talk with her again, and we spent the whole day thinking of ways we could get her to be alive again. The next morning, I woke up, and there she was, lying in the bed with me. I could see her again. I was so excited I took her into town once she woke up. I tried to tell everyone that she was miraculously alive. But no one else could see her."

Casey listened intently, but she heard Derek breathing hard right behind her and it was distracting her.

"So we went home again, and I could touch her. I could hold her hand. I was so happy. But she wasn't satisfied; she wanted to be alive again. So, we began to talk again. And, she began to talk about all the wrongs she did in her life that she wanted to right. Everything that she had ever done wrong and how she wanted to fix it. She began to tell me all her plans about what she would do if she was alive again. The next morning, my brother visited, coming to see if I was alright; he had heard about my 'episode' in town. When we both came down the stairs, he nearly fainted of shock. He could see my Delilah. She was alive again!"

Casey smiled; she could tell from the way he spoke of her that he loved her very much. It reminded her of the way Derek spoke of her when he thought she wasn't around.

"So, we thought back on what we talked about the previous day. And we decided what did it was all the things she had said about wanting to change things and about righting her wrongs. It was what we talked about most. So you see, Derek must think about all the things he has done wrong in his life, and genuinely want to change them. He has to be sincere and he has to truly want to make things right in his life. Do you think he could do that?"

"Of course I can old man!" Derek scoffed, and Casey smiled.

"I'm sure he can try." Casey said politely, "Are you positive this will bring him back?"

"I am very positive. There have been others with your problem, and this has saved them every time."

"Thank you very much, Dr. Vramini." Casey went to stand up, but then looked at him again, "How are you and Delilah doing now?"

Dr. Vramini sighed deeply, "Fifty years after she was brought back to life, she was eighty-five years old. Her age caught up with her, I guess. She died last year. But, I am Ok with this, because this time, it truly was her time to go."

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, Dr." Casey said, genuinely sorry.

"It is Ok, Miss McDonald. I have found my happiness in helping other people get through this, without going through the pain and embarrassment I had to go through."

Casey stood up and got her crutches, "Well, I thank you very much. Derek does as well."

"I didn't say-"

Dr Vramini smiled and stood up, "When Derek is alive once more, come and see me, I would like to meet him. And if you have any problems, come see me, I will be glad to help." The doctor was very old, his hair was white and he was balding, but his bright blue eyes were full of life and joy, and they were very bright. He was a very friendly looking man, and he looked almost familiar.

"Come on, Case! The bus is here!" Derek said, and Casey looked away from the doctor and left out the door.

"Good luck Derek and Casey! I wish you luck!" Dr. Vramini called out the door, and then he disappeared behind the shut door.

Casey and Derek sat on her bed, Casey lying back on the pillows, Derek unseen, but there. Derek was trying to think of everything he had done wrong in his life, but he was drawing major blanks.

"Casey, I just don't exactly know what I'm looking for."

"Derek, I told you, is there anything in your life that you regret doing and wish you could make better when you come back?"

Silence.

"Well, I wish I didn't make your life a living hell. That's one thing. And I wish I wouldn't have lied to Dad so much. I wish I hadn't used Edwin as much. I wish I had been a better stepson to Nora, instead of just using her for things I needed. I wish I could have been a better stepbrother to Lizzie. I wish I would have made more of an effort in school. I wish I would have been a better friend to Sam, Ralph and everyone else. I wish I would have taken more time to talk to my mom." He took a deep breath.

"Now _that_ is confessions from a genuinely sorry Derek Venturi." Casey smiled at him.

"Now, we wait until the morning for people to see me?"

"I guess so. But, Derek. Our parents think I'm crazy. I'm totally taking your death the way a girlfriend would, not a stepsister would. I think Mom and George are going to get suspicious."

"Then let's tell them. Once I'm back of course. I was tired of all the secrets anyway!"

"But they wouldn't understand. They might get mad. They might think we're doing something wrong!"

"There is nothing wrong with us!" Derek was mad, he hated the situation, "We met at fifteen and we began to like each other, so we met when our parents got married. It's not like we ever saw each other as brother and sister. It's not like we grew up as brother and sister. There is nothing wrong with us!" he repeated for good measure.

"I know that, Derek. But it's Mom and George. They don't think like that. None of our friends would understand."

"Liz and Ed would understand."

"Liz and Ed? What do you mean?" Casey's puzzled face made Derek laugh.

"They like each other. Didn't you know? How could you not see it? Ed told me like a few months after I told you I had feelings for you. I told him to go for it. When he talked to her, she said that she liked him too. They've had a secret relationship as well. The day we left, they weren't at friends' houses. They were at Smelly Nellie's, having a date. Ed told me."

"Why didn't Liz tell me about this?"

"Probably for the same reason you didn't tell her about us. Fear of not being accepted or understood. Ed told me, so I told him. We understood. But you and Lizzie didn't talk about it, so you both could never know."

Casey sighed, "Derek. All those things you said before. About all the wrongs you did, did you really mean all that stuff?"

"Of course! Being dead has changed me. I'm missing everyone, and now I'm really regretting everything I did wrong to them. I just want everything to be right again."

Casey sighed, "That's good. Because I miss you so much!"

"I miss you too, Case. But look, it's late. Let's go to sleep, and in the morning, you'll see me!"

Casey looked at the clock; it was midnight. They had been up for hours talking. She smiled. She liked talking to Derek all night long. She would miss it. But she would much rather him be alive then talk to him all night long. She pulled her blankets up over her and smiled.

"Derek? Where are sleeping?"

He chuckled, "Why in your bed of course."

She giggled, "But if you sleep in here, and Mom wakes me up tomorrow, she might see you."

"I'll take that chance." She could just see the smirk he was wearing right now in her mind.

She heard his voice right by her as he said, "Good night, Casey, I love you."

She smiled and closed her eyes, "I love you too, Derek."


	6. Chapter 6:When my time comes

**A/N: It took a lot longer than I had thought for me to update this! I hope you guys like this chapter! And the answer to my question about the chapter names being lyrics from a song is: Leave Out All the Rest by Linkin Park! Hope you guys enjoy! R&R:)**

**-Jacki :D**

**Chapter Six: When my time comes forget the wrong that I've done**

Derek woke up to the bright sunlight shining down on her from her window. He smiled and turned his head to his right. Casey opened her eyes as well and looked at him wide-eyed.

"DEREK!" she cried and rolled over best she could and landed halfway on top of him. His eyes widened and he smiled at her.

"I'm guessing you can see me?"

"See you? Boy, I can't take my eyes off of you!" she cried in joy, and she leaned in and kissed his lips softly.

She pulled back and he sighed; he had missed that so much. Then he lifted his head and put his hand on the back of her head and he brought her in for a more passionate kiss. When she pulled back for air, she laid her head on his chest, smiling. He grinned as he played with her long, brown hair. He could touch her again. He was the happiest man alive.

Casey propped herself up with her hands, "Let's go see if everyone else can see you!" she cried happily. She rolled over again and he laughed. He hopped up and hurried around to help her up and hand her the crutches. He smiled, he had wished he could help her so many times and now he finally could. He helped her out of the room and when they got to the stairs, she looked at him and he grinned. He lifted her into his arms and he carried her down the stairs, doing what his father had done the day before. He then left her at the bottom, clinging to stair railing as he ran up and grabbed her crutches.

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek as he handed them to her. She slid them under her arms and the two walked into the kitchen, preparing themselves for shocked parents. But when they got there, Nora look at Casey, surprised.

"Morning, Case, how'd you get down the stairs?"

Casey looked beside her and smiled, "Derek helped me." She said simply.

Nora's eyebrows furrowed, "Derek? Derek helped you down the stairs?" Casey nodded, smiling wide, "Casey, Derek's DEAD. Stop pretending he's not!"

Casey's eyes filled with tears, "You mean you don't see him?" Casey pointed to where he was standing, but both parents stared blankly at her.

"So, now you can see him, as well?" George asked.

"YES!"

"Casey. Derek is not alive. Now tell me how you got down the stairs!" Nora scolded.

"Derek helped me!" Casey said stubbornly, Derek put his hand on the small of her back.

"Young lady, I've had enough of this. You're making this worse for all of us! Now tell us the truth!"

"I already did! Derek helped me!" tears were flowing out of her eyes now and she was frustrated.

"That's it. I've had enough. Go to your room! And have 'Derek' help you up the stairs." Nora said, giving up.

"Gladly." Casey said, glaring at her mom, "Come on, Derek."

He looked sadly at his parents and then back at her. He followed her and helped her back upstairs. Then they went into her room. She collapsed on the bed, letting out a frustrated sigh. Derek had a feeling she would be pacing if she could. He sat down beside her and stroked her hair. He was worried; his parents hadn't seen him. That must mean he hadn't done something write. But what?

"Derek, why didn't they see you?" Casey said her voice weak and quiet.

"I don't know, Case. Maybe, it takes another day. I mean, it took three days for me to be day; maybe it takes three days for me to come back to life."

Casey bit her lip thoughtfully, "Maybe… Are you sure you meant what you said yesterday?"

"Of course I did! I meant every word of it." Derek said looking at her seriously.

"Well then, tomorrow has to be the day you come back then! It just has to be!" Casey tried to smile reassuringly, but failed.

Derek smiled and kissed her gently "Don't worry, it'll be ok. I promise."

Casey nodded and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples, "My head hurts."

He kissed her forehead, "I'll be right back." He whispered and left the room. He crossed the hall and went into his little sister's room.

There she was, lying on her bed, hidden beneath the covers, her eyes shut gracefully. She was sleeping soundly, and Derek smiled. He grabbed a very small chair from Marti's tea set and sat on it beside her bed. He watched her sleep and he grinned; Marti had always been the one to believe him, no matter how far-fetched the tales he told her were. He suddenly realized that he had not been a very good influence for her. He had been lying and scheming all her life, and that was all she had seen from him. He was the one she had looked up to the most, and he had not given her a good show. He swallowed hard, he had missed this wrong, and this one might even be the worst one he had ever done. Maybe that's why he needed to wait another day. He had forgotten this one and because he had, he was still invisible to everyone but Casey.

He stood up after quite a time of watching her sleep. He leaned down and went to kiss her forehead, but his lips went right through her. He still could not touch her. His face fell. He missed 'Smarti'. He walked to the door, and looked back at her, smiling sadly.

"Smerek?" Marti cried, clearly still fast asleep, but the sound of her nickname for him sent his heart racing. She soon rolled over and he lost sight of her. He smiled and left the room, sadder than when he had walked in the room. He went back to Casey's room and she looked up at him curiously.

"What's wrong Derek?" she asked, sitting up.

Derek took a deep breath, "I just went and visited Marti. I realized that I forgot one wrong. I've been setting a horrible example for her. All she saw from me was lying and scheming and using people. I turned her into a mini-Derek!"

"Well, we don't want to Dereks, now do we?" Casey laughed, but then she turned serious at Derek's sad face, "Don't worry, Derek, tomorrow morning you'll be back, and you can fix all those things you said yesterday that you wanted to fix. And then everyone will know that I wasn't crazy."

"You are intent on getting your sanity proven, aren't you?" Derek smirked and sat down on the bed beside her.

She smiled, "I like to think that I am sane. I like to think, but maybe, just maybe I might not be completely sane." He laughed and she joined him.

"Casey, was I a horrible person?"

She looked at him, shocked, "Of course you weren't a horrible person, Derek! You were a great person with a wonderful heart. You just didn't show it that often. Many people haven't seen it. I think Marti and I are the only two people have ever seen the true heart of Derek Venturi."

Derek bit his lip, "You're right. I've been so focused on keeping up my reputation, and trying to be the tough guy on campus and at home, that I forgot how I should be treating my friends and family. I just figured they knew I cared, but I never told them that I did."

Casey nodded, and put a loving hand on his chest, "You're learning, Derek. I'm proud of you."

He smiled, "Well, being dead has a strange effect on a person."

Casey giggled, "I can't even imagine."

"No you can't, you really can't." he smiled and laid his head on her shoulder and smiled.

She smiled and rubbed his cheek with her hand, "You know, when I saw you, and you were dead, I felt like I had died. My heart literally stopped. It was as if a piece of my heart had just been torn off and ripped into shreds. It hurt, I think that was the reasons I passed out. I didn't even notice the pain in my leg. I was just worried about you. And I just couldn't believe it. And every morning after that, I woke up and I had forgotten you were dead. I thought you were just not around at the moment. Then, I had to go through you're death over and over again."

Derek looked up at her; tears were filling her eyes, "Case, I know that it must have been hard. I know I would feel the exact same way if I ever lost you. But, I'm here now," he took her hand in his and began caressing it with his thumb, "And I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

She turned her head and kissed the top of his head, rubbing her face in his hair, and then she lay her cheek on his head, "Oh, I love you so much."

"I know you do." He smirked as she shoved his arm gently, "I love you, too, Casey. Always remember that!"

She smiled, "I do. I'll always remember it. I'll always love you, you know."

"Always?" he asked, reminding himself of when she had asked the same question.

"Always and forever." He smiled brighter than he ever had before.


	7. Chapter 7:Forgetting all the hurt inside

**A/N: Hey guys! You guys have been wonderful! I love to hear all your support! I love to hear that you like the story! But don't think that I will only accept reviews saying what you liked about it! I will gladly hear what you think didn't need to be in there, or what you think should change. Or just what you didn't like about it! Be kind, but don't lie! Haha. Anyway, this chapter is the longest one so far, and it could be the end.**

**Although, I have already written an eighth chapter. So, if you guys want the last chapter, leave a review saying that you do:) If I get eight reviews saying you want another chapter, I will put it up. But I will probably put it up even if I only get like, three. Haha. I like writing this, and I hope you guys enjoyed! **

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Seven: Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well**

The day passed on, and Casey barely left her room. She stayed with Derek the whole day, keeping him close at all times. She tried to keep everyone away, but after Casey had refused to come down to dinner, Lizzie came up to her room after she had eaten.

"Casey?" she asked as she poked her head in the door.

"Hey, Liz." Casey said, offhandedly, and then turned back to Derek.

"Case, I think she wants to talk to you." Derek said and pointed back to Lizzie, who was standing in front of the now closed door, facing Casey.

Casey turned her head to her sister and smiled, and pointed to the bed, "Come on in, Liz. What's up?"

Lizzie sat on the bed and looked up at her sister, "Casey, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."

Casey leaned forward, "What is it?"

Lizzie bit her lip, "Well, you know how you told me I can come to you about anything?"

"Yeah, Lizzie, what's going on?"

"Well, you see, a couple months ago, Edwin came up to me, and he told me that he really liked me. Well, I had liked him for a very long time, and I was so happy. So, I told him I really liked him too. So we decided to have a secret relationship. But, I didn't want to keep it from you anymore. And I talked to Edwin, and he told me that he had told Derek about us, and that Derek had known all along."

"Liz, since you've been honest with me, I'll be honest with you. Derek came up to me eight months ago and told me that he had fallen for me the day we had met. I had been keeping the same feelings hidden from him as well. So, we, like you and Ed, decided to have a secret relationship. And now I feel so bad, because I thought you wouldn't understand, but now I know you would have understood perfectly."

Lizzie nodded, "I just don't know how Mom and George would take it. They don't seem like they would understand."

"See, I was worried about that as well. So, I've kept it from them."

"Wow, so Derek's death must be harder on you than the rest of us. Because not only was he part of your family, but he was you're boyfriend as well."

Casey nodded, holding back a smile as Derek kissed her cheek, trying to let her know that he was still there with her.

"Casey, I've come to you with all sorts of problems, and you have helped me so much. I want to help you. You must be going through so much pain right now. Let me help you."

Casey smiled at her sister, "You know, Liz, I'm really ok."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, "Really? He died just five days ago, and you're ok already? I doubt it. Casey let me in. You don't have to hide your pain this time."

Now it was Casey's turn to raise an eyebrow, "This time? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that when something truly bad happens, you hide your pain from everyone, and you play it off like it's no big deal, when it really is. You try to act like this happy person all the time, and you never let anyone see the pain. It's good to be strong, but it's also good to be vulnerable, and accept people's help."

Casey smiled, "When did you get to be so smart?"

Lizzie grinned, "I guess I take after my sister."

Tears filled Casey's eyes for the thousandth time in the past few days, "Aw, Liz, come here!" she scooped her little sister into a big hug and kissed the top of her head, "Tell you what," she said as she pulled away and left her hands on Lizzie's shoulders, "When I'm ready to talk about my pain, you'll be the first person I come to."

Lizzie smiled, "Alright, Casey. I love you; I just don't like seeing you upset."

"I know. I love you too, Liz." Casey smiled and watched her sister leave the room and shut the door.

"She's right, you know." Derek said and Casey turned back to him; he grinned, "I've seen it. When Max broke up with you for Kendra, I truly thought your heart had broken. I was afraid it would crush you. But, when you got home that day, you were all smiles and you acted like everything was fine. I wanted to come up to you and see how you were doing, but I didn't know how you felt about me just then, so I figured you didn't want your annoying stepbrother getting involved."

"It did hurt. But the feelings I had for him, were nothing compared to the ones I was harboring for you. So, even though I had liked him, it wasn't the end of my world. I would have loved to have your shoulder to cry on, though," she smiled at him.

He grinned, "It is a very cry-able on shoulder." They both laughed.

Casey got serious, "Derek. What if it doesn't work? What if you don't come back tomorrow?"

He looked her in the eye, "Then we'll go see Dr. Vramini again. He seems to know about all this stuff."

Casey nodded, "I guess you're right, if something went wrong, he would know what it was. He would be able to help us."

There was a knock on the door, and Nora came in without an answer; Casey looked at her mom, who was a mixture of mad and upset, "Casey, I know you probably don't feel like dealing with it, but tomorrow, we are having Derek's funeral," Casey gasped, "I know it's soon, but I don't think it's wise to prolong this pain. We should have the funeral and be done with it."

Casey grew angry, "Having the funeral would not take away the pain, Mom!"

Nora looked shocked, "I wasn't saying that. It's just, if we wait longer, then we might have done some healing by then, and having his funeral would be like reopening a scab; painful and unnecessary."

Casey glared at her wall, "Fine. We'll have the funeral tomorrow."

Nora's face softened, and she sat down on the bed beside her and looked into her daughter's eyes, "Casey, I know this hard on you. You two never got along, and I bet that is coming back to haunt you. I bet all those fights feel pointless now. I'm sure that this is a very painful time. It is for all of us. But you can't hide yourself away from the rest of us. We're going through pain as well, Case. Let us in, share you're pain with us. You don't have to carry this burden all on your own."

Casey looked down at her hands, they were intertwined, but Derek's hand was on top of them, "Mom, I'm fine. I don't need to talk. I'm getting through this. I'd just be a lot better if people just stopped trying to make me talk about him."

"After all your talk about how Derek is alive, and all of that, you're going to say that you don't want to talk about him?" Nora was getting angry now as well.

"Mom, I understand your concern, but, please. I just need to be alone today. Maybe we can talk tomorrow."

Nora stood up, stony faced and walked out of the room without another word. Casey sighed and stared at the closed door, "I wish I could tell her and have her actually believe me. I want her to know that you'll be here for your own funeral." She kind of smiled, but it disappeared quickly, "This is hard, knowing you're here, but having to keep it from everyone. If they truly knew you were back they'd be so happy. But they just can't believe things they can't see, I guess."

Derek nodded, "Casey, you need some rest, tomorrow will be a better day."

"You're right. I am tired and I just need some time not to think." She laughed.

He kissed her cheek and smiled, "I know. That's why I'm your boyfriend, I know everything about you, and still love you."

She giggled, "That's good to know. Good night, love."

"Good night, baby." He got up off the bed and kissed her forehead. I'll see you in the morning.

She muttered something incoherent and he smiled. Then he quietly left the room. He walked into his old room and looked at the messy space. He wanted desperately to clean it now, and so he bent down to pick up a CD to see if he could touch his stuff without his hand going right through it. He almost let out a sound of joy as he picked up the CD and held it in his hand. He smiled; his parents were in for a surprise tomorrow. He would be alive again, AND his room would be clean for the first time since Nora became super Mom and had cleaned it for him.

He began to go through his things and he realized how much stuff was pointless for him to have. He began to fill his empty trash bin with all the things he found that he didn't need. It began to overflow and so then he began a pile of trash beside the bin. He took down the posters on his walls that didn't need to be there and he cleaned out from under his bed. He picked up all his clothes, putting the clean ones away, and starting a pile for the dirty ones. And, for the first time in years, he made his own bed. It surprised him how much he was changing; just a few days ago he would have shuddered at the mere though of even attempting to clean the mess hole he called his room. But like he had told Casey, being dead really did have an affect on him.

He looked around at him newly clean room and smiled. He then turned around and left his room and went back to Casey's. He wanted to see her as soon as he woke up. It was one of the last times he could before he was back. He climbed into the bed and snuggled into the blankets with her. He smiled and knew that the next morning he would be back with his family, back with the people who loved him, back with the people who had put up with him even when he was an immature jerk. Tomorrow he would be back among the living. It was a nice thought. He was tired of being stuck in the half here, half dead state. And he also was looking forward to rubbing it in his parents' faces that Casey had been right all along. After a considerable amount of time, of course; he wanted them to get over the shock first. Then, a few days later, maybe he would bring it up. But he wouldn't be mean about it. No, he had gotten over that; he would just let them know that Casey had been telling the truth from the beginning. He knew she would be grateful.

He turned on his side and watched her sleep. She was so beautiful, her long brown hair surrounding her smooth, delicate face. She almost looked like a doll, lying there, so gracefully, so serenely, so peaceful. He loved her so much. And he knew he always would. Just like he had promised her so many months ago.


	8. Chapter 8: Leave out all the rest

**A/N: Ok, so maybe it's not the BEST ending, but I worked hard on it. It's a bit rushed, but i just didn't want to make it too too long. So, I'm sorry if it's not the best. But, so many of you wanted to see Derek come back, so, just read it and let me know what you think! R&R, please! Thanks for all of your support throughout this whole story! **

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Eight: Leave out all the rest**

Derek's eyes fluttered open as the sun shone through the window. He realized that today was the day; he was back! He turned over and looked at Casey; she was still fast asleep. He kissed her lips to wake her up and she smiled and slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning to you, too, Derek."

"Casey. I'm supposed to be back today."

She nodded and then suddenly her eyes flew all the way open, "You're right! Come on! We've got to see if they see you!"

Casey sat up and Derek jumped off the bed, running to help her and get her crutches. They left the room together and he carried her down the stairs again, this time she held the crutches so he wouldn't have to make a second trip. When the made it into the kitchen, everyone was already down there, eating pancakes. Nora and George looked up at Casey; Derek was bending down behind her, out of view for the time being. They looked upset, and Casey knew why, today was supposed to be Derek's funeral. She smiled at them

"Good morning everyone." She said.

"Casey why are you so per-" Edwin stopped in mid-sentence as Derek jumped out from behind Casey.

"Surprise!" Everyone immediately began to choke on their pancakes; George spit out his coffee and Marti screamed in joy.

"SMEREK! I tried to tell them you were coming back! But they wouldn't believe me!"

"How- Wha- How is this possible?" George asked, Nora just stared at Derek, amazed.

Marti ran and hugged Derek as tightly as possible as Derek smiled at his dad, "I have no idea. A couple mornings ago, I just was back, and I had no idea that I was supposedly dead. I tried talking to Casey, Nora and you, Dad, but no one but Casey could hear me. And then, the next morning she could see me. And now, today, you all can see me! I'm back! I'm not dead!"

The whole family cheered and ran to him, hugging him and kissing him; and for the first time in his life, Derek Venturi let his family publicly display their affection towards him. Casey stood away from the group, smiling, tears of joy in her eyes. When the family backed off a bit, Derek walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Now that I am back, I have a few announcements to make." Casey smiled at him and nodded. Derek grinned and went to his dad, "Dad, I'm sorry for everything I have ever lied about to you. All the times I put you through junk and just made your life horrible, I'm sorry." Then he went to Nora, "Nora, I'm sorry I didn't make more of an effort to be a better stepson to you. I took you for granted and I'm sorry. That's changing today though." He then walked over to Edwin, "I'm sorry for all the rough times I put you through, Ed; using you for things I wanted and making you my own personal slave." Then on to Lizzie, "Liz, I'm sorry for not being a better stepbrother to you. I could have been a lot nicer, and I'm sorry I wasn't." Then he kneeled down and looked at Marti, "And, you, Smarti, "I'm sorry that I wasn't the best big brother I could be to you. I was showing you all the things you shouldn't do, and I shouldn't have done that. I'm going to be a better role model, from now on." He stood up straight then looked at Casey, she nodded and he smiled. He walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders again.

"And this wonderful girl right here," He looked at his shocked, tear-filled eyed family, "This girl is the smartest, most beautiful, amazing girl I have ever met. And I have been dating her for eight incredible months, and I plan to love her for my entire life. And I don't care whether you accept our relationship or not, I love her with all my heart and I have learned that life is too short to keep things from the ones you love. So I am letting you all know, because this has made us the happiest we have ever been."

Casey and Derek watched their parents anxiously. They looked confused at first, and then their faces were unreadable, but as they walked over to the two, their faces were smiling and happy.

"We love you both very much," George started.

"And we've suspected something was going on between you for a little bit. We just wanted to wait and see if you would tell us. I'm glad you did." Nora added.

"We want you to know that you could have told us at anytime. We love you and we completely understand, we would not have been mad, or upset or anything." George finished.

Edwin cleared his throat, "Well, in that case. Lizzie and I have been going out secretly for seven months."

The two parents turned to their middle children and smiled. They hugged the two.

"We're happy that you all are happy. We would not have been upset if you had told us sooner." Nora said.

Casey smiled, "Thanks, Mom." Then she turned to Derek, "We have someone we need to go see."

Derek nodded, "Yeah, we do. We'll be back soon. There's just someone that needs to see us."

Nora and George looked confused, but agreed, and the couple left the house, smiling. They stood at the bus stop and waited for the bus. Casey smiled up at Derek, who grinned back down at her.

"Now we no longer have to hide our relationship." She said, happily.

"I know. I feel so much better, letting them know. It took us so long to let them in. But I'm glad we finally did."

"Yes. Thank you for telling them. I never would have been able to."

The bus arrived before Derek could respond. He grinned as he handed the crutches up to the driver and he helped Casey up into the bus. He sat her down and took the crutches from the driver and thanked him. The bus ride was quick and Derek hurried and helped Casey off the bus. They stood in front of the small building and smiled. Then they walked into the purple door.

"Dr. Vramini!" Casey called out and stepped further into the room.

"Ah, Miss McDonald, welcome back. Has Derek returned yet?"

Casey smiled, "Please, sir, call me Casey. And yes, he has returned." The two walked in and the doctor stood up to get a better look at them.

Derek stepped forward and shook the elderly man's hand, "Thank you sir, so much for helping us. I would not be here if it were not for your help."

Dr. Vramini smiled, "It was not trouble at all. I am glad I could help. You two are obviously very happy together, and I wish you many years of happiness."

They both smiled, and said, "Thank you, sir."

"Good luck, Derek and Casey. Good luck!"

The two smiled and said goodbye, and they left. They waited outside for the bus to come back around. Derek looked down at Casey and wrapped his arms around her waist, inside the crutches. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

"I love you. And I always will. Always and forever."

She smiled, "Always and forever."

**The End :)**


End file.
